Mother of the Village

We all thought we'd be there for the rest of our lives But of course it didn't turn out like that We knew we'd lost Well at least it's over we can get back to normal But there was never going to be normal Nothing will ever replace it because it's the end of an era That is gone completely I don't think it will ever return toward these valleys I remember all the shops there used to be in the village The pubs'd be full on payday And you begin to realise what you mean by "the death of a village" And about the pits being "the mother of the village" And all these phrases that sound all very romantic But they're not romantic at all, they're true I loved the mining industry and I wouldn't have missed it, not for anything And I'm so sad and sorry to see that it's gone